ShrubsDiscover the right shrubs for your garden.

Winecraft Black ® fume bush . exposure by Proven Winners .

For high drama in the garden , few flora are more compelling than smoke bush . The most notable attribute are the large , showy bloom panicles that shape in summer , create the smoky , ethereal effect for which the bush is appoint . This deciduous shrub or small tree is also valued for its harum-scarum nature and multi - seasonal interest group .

This pop bush adds unmatched textural quality to the landscape painting and has been a preferred in traditional English garden since the 16th century . Newer miscellanea have been cover for dissimilar foliage and blossom colors , as well as more compact sizing suitable for small urban chiliad .

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On this pageboy : The Basics|Planting|Care|Choosing the Right Smoke Bush|Pictures|Landscaping Tips

SMOKE BUSH BASICS

Zones:

4 - 8

Height/Spread:

Upright bushy or open use , 4 to 30 feet tall and 4 to 25 feet wide , depending on variety .

Exposure:

Full sun to fond shade ; bloom and foliage colour is best with at least six time of day of verbatim sunlight .

Bloom time:

former give through former fall .

Color and characteristics:

This deciduous woody bush or small tree diagram has dull , multi - stemmed branching , with gullible , imperial , or gold leave . petite icteric or pick flowers appear in springtime ; showy panicle which get into even showier puffs with a blurred , smoke - like appearance that last for several months . The tumescent spend bloom , which resemble cotton candy , can reach 12 inches long . panicle occur in shade of cream , pink , mauve , or purpurate that shift in color as they age . dip color is red , yellow , orangish , purple , or coral . yield is peanut .

Types:

Also be intimate as smoke Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , or fume bush tree , this penis of the sumac family includes two species :

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS

When to plant:

Plant during milder months of spring or shine to avoid shock absorber from extreme heat energy or cold .

Where to plant:

Grow in a sunny to lightly shaded site in a container or landscape painting . Plants will flower and retain color better in full sunshine .

How to plant:

Amend planting area as needed with a 2- to 3 - inch level of compost that is worked into the soil . Make trusted soil is on the loose and well - draining . Dig a hole doubly as wide as the radical ball . Tease out circling roots or trounce the root ball in several seat if potbound . Place in the planting hole so the top of the ancestor ball is level or more or less higher than the surrounding land . Fill in the hole with soil , pack down gently to transfer air pockets , and water thoroughly . Continue to irrigate once or double a calendar week until plants are found .

SMOKE BUSH CARE

Winecraft Gold ® smoke bush . Photo by Proven Winners .

Pruning:

Refrain from pruning for the first few age , as it can take that foresighted for young specimens to flower . industrial plant can be appropriate to reach their natural shape and size , kept to a smaller size , or shape as hedging . prominent varieties can also be trained into small trees .

In late wintertime or early spring , cut out dead , diseased and crossing branches , and lightly shape as necessitate . Since roll of tobacco bush bloom on the previous twelvemonth ’s emergence , hold back off on any major pruning until after summer flowering .

plant life can also be kept small by cutting them back hard to the ground . This will advertise Modern perpendicular shoot with larger leaves and enhanced foliage color . While this will manipulate the plant ’s size and create a unequaled ornamental effect , efflorescence will be sacrificed .

Winecraft Black Smoke Bush, Cotinus Coggygria, Purple Leaves
Proven Winners
Sycamore, IL

To civilise into a pocket-sized tree , cut out all but one or more of the main proboscis and limb up the side shoots .

Soil:

Smoke bush can tolerate in a broad variety of conditions including lean , jumpy soils . It does n’t do well in heavy clay or piteous - draining soils . Slightly acidic pH is preferred , but works can tolerate acerb or alkaline land .

Amendments & fertilizer:

Smoke bush needs little or no supplemental fertilizer once established . If trust , fecundate in spring with aslow - liberation all - purpose fertilizeror supply a layer of richcompostaround the base ball of the plant , avoiding the woody stanch . In spring , mulch with 1 to 3 inches of organic matter such as wood chipping or barque mulch to suppress weeds and retain moisture . ( watch and organic dirt amendments . )

Watering:

Keep soil evenly moist but not soggy . Smoke bush is drought tolerant once build .

Diseases and pests:

When planted in optimal conditions and in good order maintained , smoke bush exhibits few , if any job . Plants can develop leafage spot , rust , powdery mildew , or verticillium wilt due to damp conditions or poorly draining filth . Pests can admit leafroller orscale .

Deer resistance:

Smoke bush is consider deer - resistant , though utmost precondition can result in deer grazing on industrial plant they would n’t otherwise .

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT SMOKE BUSH

For borders and landscapes:

big , quick - growing varieties will offer maximal impact . Use as a remain firm - alone focal point , hedge , screening along a property line , or as a background chemical element in a assorted perimeter .

For slopes and hillsides:

set a smaller phase such as ‘ Lilla ’ in groupings along a bank or slope for corroding ascendence .

For containers:

Place a dwarf assortment such as Winecraft Gold ® in a large smoke and display near an entryway , along a way of life , or as a focal point .

SMOKE BUSH VARIETIES

photograph by : Proven winner

Winecraft Gold ® —Buy now from Proven WinnersCotinus coggygria

5 - 8

Winecraft Black Smoke Bush, Cotinus Coggygria, Purple Leaves
Proven Winners
Sycamore, IL

unsloped shaggy-haired habit , 4 to 6 feet marvellous and wide

Full sun to fond subtlety

Bloom Time:

summertime

Color:

Flowers start out green and fade to blush pink . New foliage is tinct with bronze - orange , fading to chartreuse .

The lucky chartreuse leafage lends demarcation and lighten up the landscape painting . An improvement to Golden Spirit ™ with smaller height , more vigour and better electrical resistance to foliar burn . slenderly less cold - liberal than other varieties . utilise in a sundry border , as a foundation planting , hedging or a stand - alone focal item .

Winecraft Black ® —Buy now from Proven WinnersC. coggygria

Winecraft Black Smoke Bush, Cotinus Coggygria, Purple Leaves
Proven Winners
Sycamore, IL

Burgundy red flowers ; raw foliation is burgundy , fleet to almost black . capitulation foliage is bright reddish and orange .

This smaller form makes a in force choice as hedge , as a individual specimen , as a background flora in a mixed border , or massed in the landscape . Plant alongside Winecraft Gold ® or other gold - foliaged shrubs for dramatic contrast .

The Velvet Fog ™ —Buy now from Proven WinnersC. coggygria

Winecraft Black Smoke Bush, Cotinus Coggygria, Purple Leaves
Proven Winners
Sycamore, IL

good bushy habit , 5 to 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide

Dusky pink flowers , drab - greenish foliage

bad showy seed heads blossom in profusion - nearly smothering the plant - creating a dreamy fog - like effect that endure all summertime long . The medium sizing makes this a good selection as a foundation garment planting , a digest - alone focal decimal point , at the back of a mixed border , or in mass plantings . more or less less fearless than some other varieties .

Photo by akslocum / Shutterstock .

‘ Royal Purple’C. coggygria

Upright bushy habit , 10 to 15 feet grandiloquent and 15 to 20 feet spacious

Spring through summertime

bloom panicles emerge as vino purple , languish to rosiness garden pink . New growth is rich maroon , deepen to majestic purpleness in summer . Fall foliation can be varying , from solid orange red to shades of yellow , orange , purple and red .

Grown especially for its attractive foliage , the tumid size makes it a unspoilt choice as privacy hedging , to separate garden areas , or as a exclusive accent . foliation hold its deep color through summer . Can be trained into a small tree . Flower panicles make good cut flowers .

Photo by Spring Meadow Nursery .

Golden Spirit ™ , syn . ‘ Ancot’C. coggygria

Upright open habit , 8 to 10 feet marvelous and wide

Blush pink flower ; bright pea green leaf disappearance to yellowish - green in summertime . Fall leaf can be amber , Burgundy wine , scarlet , and pink .

Creamy pink bloom stand out against the bright yellow green foliage . drop foliage is varying , occur in brainy rainbow shades . Add to a prairie or hayfield garden , use as a dramatic focal point , or as a screen background plant in an informal mixed border . foliation and blossom make a arresting and long - lasting addition to peak arrangements .

Cotinus ‘ Grace’Cotinushybrid

Upright exposed habit , 10 - 15 feet improbable and wide

Bronzy pink flowers ; fresh growth is wine-colored carmine , fading to dusky reddish blue . Fall leafage is red , orange and gold .

A hybrid between American fastball tree diagram ( C. obovatus ) and ‘ Velvet Cloak ’ , grown for its heavy showy flower clusters . New growth and mosaic - like fall color are lambent when backlit . Mass in a shrub moulding , exercise as privateness screening or as a unmarried specimen . Suffers less winter dieback in colder zones than other varieties . Can be rail into a small tree .

Featured in : Garden Design ’s Top 10 Garden Trends for 2022(“Designing with Dark Foliage " )

SMOKE BUSH LANDSCAPING & DESIGN TIPS

There are many direction to comprise smoke bush into your landscape . Here ’s how :

Companion Plants:

Smoke bush companion plant can include :